Concessionaires and others in the food service business have traditionally used cup and container count as a means of controlling inventories and cash return. As an example, if a counter clerk uses 100 cups, he should turn in an amount of cash equal to the selling price of 100 servings of the product to be dispensed in such cups. Problems arise when a clerk reuses cups left on the premises or smuggles in extra cups from outside.
By using premium promotions which involve consumers tearing tabs from the sidewall of such cups or containers, such as taught by the present invention, the cups will become mutilated and impractical for reuse. Furthermore, the unique structure of such cups and containers would make them speciality items which would not be easily available to the clerks to obtain outside of the normal source of supplies of the food service business in which these cups are being utilized. The mutilatable type cup or container is more affective to prevent reuse than special imprint containers since there is nothing to prevent the reuse of specially imprinted containers and often, such reuse occurs.
Thus, a mutilated cup or container cannot be reused and eliminates the dishonest and unsanitary practices which have been found to occur in the trade.
It is also desirable from a purely promotional standpoint to promote sales of beverages and other foods such as popcorn, french fries and the like by offering premiums. In the prior art, proof-of-purchase coupons which are redeemable have been printed on cup sidewalls and tearing out these coupons from used cups is both messy and unsanitary.
Another approach to such cups or containers in the prior art is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,620 to Rodney E. Ludder issued Aug. 6, 1974, for Non-Reusable Nestable Cup or Container. In this particular form of cup or container, the glued area along the side seamline of the container has a portion thereof in which the area beneath a defined tear-off tab is unglued and the consumer is encouraged to place a fingernail beneath the indicated unglued area to tear off a portion of the same. Because of the fact that the tear-off tab goes across an already thinly glued area of the side seam and into the sidewall paper beyond it, there is a severe weakening of the sidewall paper beyond the glued side seam which tends to destroy the liquid-tight integrity of the container.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a premium tab for disposable cups and containers of paper or plastic which is dry and clean and which offers a superior and more pleasing method of collecting and redeeming such coupons.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a readily mutilatable paper or plastic cup or container by the provision of a premium tab along the sidewall thereof such that mutilation of the container will substantially preclude its reuse by employees of food service operations.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel paper or plastic cup or container which includes a removable pull-tab for the purpose of mutilating the exterior of the cup or container without damaging the liquid-tight integrity thereof.